Food Patrol

This is a beautifully wow, elegant place to go to sleep, eat and play! All the rooms are Moroccan style and have amazing baths with tubs and monsoon showers. The décor is impeccable. I adore boutique hotels and this is tops. A contemporary, classic gem was created by Vanessa Branson and Howell James. The very historic architecture with terraces and gardens make the perfect place to enjoy Africa's city and you will hear birds humming since they are so happy here.

Who, of any of us, would not want to go to a place where you hear complete quiet, decompress and enjoy nature? It is so good for all of us, if even for just 2 days.

When I was a young girl, my mom would take me to pick fresh blackberries. We would both come home and make pies and jam. To this day, blackberries are on the top of my favorites. As I started traveling by car throughout the US, I always had an urge to stop if I saw a farm stand or farmers market come up on the roadside. Wherever my address has been, you will see me at the local farmers markets. They are all so different, so unique and special and have become a way of most of our lives.

Taffy Morgan organized a field trip for campers who wanted to visit a local maple syrup farm, both to see how the syrup is produced as well as to purchase really high quality maple syrup to take home. Susie and I joined the group going to Dave Matt’s sugar shack on Thursday evening after dinner at camp.

After leaving Montpelier we decided to start looking for a place to have lunch as we approached Burlington. We exited just before Burlington, but couldn’t find any restaurants close to I-89. Since we had our Garmin GPS to get back on track, we continued about five miles down the road until we came to Essex Junction and saw the Firebird Café on the left-hand side. Since this was obviously a local place and not a fast-food chain, we decided to stop and check it out.

Five coffee shops to check out, two in New York in Albany and Manhattan, another in Portland, Maine, one in Chicago, Illinois and finally on the west coast, a coffee shop in Seattle, Washington that is not a Starbucks! 

The year was 1987 when Rick and Deann Bayliss had traveled on a long stay in Mexico and when they returned decided to open a restaurant. They started hanging bright, colorful folk art and made a vibrant kitchen. They also cook fiery foods. They have made an effort to keep all of the beginning feeling to this day. They have been called the most popular Chicago restaurant for a long time. If you go to the website, the first thing you will see is the vibrant, fun colors!

Join Blondee, the original cyber chef, as she takes you on a gastronomic journey from coast to coast and around the world. She will share her insights on some of the best and most unusual and delightful places to eat. She wants to hear from you as well, so be sure and share your best meals on the planet. Bon Appetit!

This is a true family affair and I personally know the family and so adore them! The executive chef, Peter Kelly is truly one of the most respected chefs in the country. His restaurants are so close to Manhattan and are as any of the top ones there. I ate at Freelance so often when I lived in South Nyack. I got to know Peter and others in his family. Ned, his brother is the first person you see when you enter the restaurant and probably the last as you leave. He is so gracious as the man in the front of the house.

Mauricio, Joseph and Chef Jason have combined their talents and passions into this contemporary bistro that offers fresh and fabulous food! They love locally grown ingredients and also use an international influence.

Hong Kong is a city with so much excitement and extraordinary places to explore. There are pure silks everywhere, open markets, galleries, beautiful beads, antique shops and the very best restaurants. You can see beautiful beaches nearby.

I learned about this from Carla Hall from The Chew on TV. I was so excited about this story. Hot Bread has a lot of dimensions to it besides being a great bakery. It helps to increase economic security for foreign born low income women and men. They sell multi ethnic breads at the retail store on site. They also have kitchen rental in the 2,300 square foot shared commercial kitchen. There are so many entrepreneurs who need kitchen space so how fabulous is this.

This product was brought to my attention by a lovely email I received from Kirstin Robison. I was so excited to try these and truly thought all boomers should know about these! There have been so many times I have wondered why no one had ever created a straw for hot beverages. Here it was right before my eyes!

Hugo's is located right in the middle of Houston's Montrosa area. Hugo and Tracey opened Hugo's in the early 2000's. It is in a 1925 building that was designed by a well-known Houston architect. It has a very elegant feeling with fresh flowers daily and traditional stark white tablecloths. There is an accent color of bright cobalt blue.

Travelers from everywhere love to come to the charming place called Charleston. Cobblestone streets, colonial homes and plantations are everywhere. Husk is the perfect restaurant to visit. You can enjoy an ice cold cocktail on their porch in the afternoon and then return later for an award winning James Beard chef’s dinner menu.

I have always loved glamour, luxury and castles. I am a true romantic and do believe that all of us, if just once in our life should stay and dine at a castle. Even if you could just dine here that would make me happy for you! You can tell by the photos that this is a must while in Scotland.

I grew up in Chico (northern California). I loved it then and love it even more now since I go to visit often. It is a small college town with beautiful tree lined streets. The campus, Chico State is right in the center of town and so there are a lot of restaurants and shops there. The Esplanade is a long main street (as a teenager I used to cruise with friends down the Esplanade) and you go a little beyond town to see the Italian Cottage. There are two locations.

If you are in South Florida, this is such a fun place to go, no matter what age you are! There are so many fun things to do nearby in Fort Lauderdale including beaches. It is fabulous to have a day at the beach and then going to Jaxson's to enjoy such great memories.

Let all of us Boomers stand up and scream ICE CREAM! There are not too many people who do not like outrageous ice cream. As I was growing up, making homemade ice cream with my family was a regular event. My mom would make the vanilla base and then she would have fresh berries or other fun toppings to place on top. My father would be putting the salt around the edge of the ice cream maker and then all of his little grandchildren would come and help him spin it- such precious memories.

Nashville gives us the best stars and legends in country music and they also give us restaurants that are legends and stars…..The Victorian Home restaurant named Jimmy Kelly’s is on the top of that list!

Semsa Denizsel, the chef, owner took one of the very first farm-to-table approaches in Istanbul. She knew in her late teens she wanted to be a chef. Her background started when she studied at London School of Printing. She worked with magazines as a food stylist Semsa ran another restaurant before her dream came to life when she opened Kantin in Jan. 2,000. Semsa has had so much fun with her success. She has her own radio show and does a lot of consulting on the side.

The Kogart restaurant is on the ground floor of one of Budapest’s most beautiful old villas. I so want to experience this beautiful culture and city someday. I love the people from here. I have a very soft spot for Budapest, we will just say it must be magical....people fall madly madly in love here, that I know for sure.

This restaurant wants us to have extraordinary not just good or great! They want us to feel their food throughout the body and bring us the sound of music. This is what I call true passion. Oldrich Sahajdak is the executive chef and star here with his love for Czech food.

Blondee tells us about great places to eat at scenic Lake Como in Italy.